TV personality Maria Menounos has revealed that she is battling a Brain Tumor. Menounos' medical diagnosis comes at a tough time for Maria and her family, according to TMZ. Along with Maria's health crisis, the family has also been rallying in support of Maria's mother, who is currently battling brain cancer.
Maria Menounos' family hit with second major health crisis
Maria, 39, revealed that she underwent a 7-hour surgery to remove the golf ball-sized benign brain tumor back in April. She also stated that the surgery was successful and that surgeons removed almost all of the tumor.
The E! host spoke with People, saying, "My face is still numb. This is something that takes at least a month of healing, but I'm getting stronger and stronger every day, and I'll be back to normal very soon."
Menounos to take leave from E! to focus on recovery and family
Maria's mother, however, continues her courageous battle with stage 4 glioblastoma. Menounos revealed that she plans to stay extremely positive and that this roadblock with her health is not going to prevent her from moving forward with her life. She also tells People that she and fiancé Keven Undergaro will continue with their plans to start a family via in vitro fertilization. She also revealed that she feels fortunate that she wasn’t pregnant when the tumor was discovered.
“When you are pregnant, [tumors] grow fast,” she said.
Maria also praised Undergaro, 51, whom she has been dating for 19-years, thanking him for sticking by her side and taking such great care of her throughout the medical crisis. Menounos said that she first started noticing symptoms and began feeling ill in February.
"I'd been getting lightheaded on set and having headaches," she recalled.
"My speech had gotten slurred, and I was having difficulty reading the teleprompter." Maria made the announcement Monday that she has decided to leave E! to focus on her health, well-being, and to "see what's next."
Besides being a well-known reporter and Tv Host, Maria is also an accomplished actress. Her acting credits include recurring roles on "Without a Trace" and as Jules in the second season of the popular teen drama "One Tree Hill." She had guest appearances on "Nashville," "Entourage," and "Botched." Her acting resume also includes music videos and numerous television commercials.
Menounos also competed on season 14 of the ABC hit "Dancing with the Stars." In 2014 she starred in her own reality television series on the Oxygen Network, "Chasing Maria Menounos." Fans continue to reach out to her and her mother via social media, wishing them both well.
